Pakistan in a state of war as Islamabad attack underlines threat: Defence Minister

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said on Tuesday that the country was “in a state of war,” highlighting the broader context of Tuesday’s suicide attack at Islamabad’s district court.

“Anyone who thinks that the Pakistan Army is fighting this war in the Afghan-Pakistan border region and the remote areas of Balochistan, today’s suicide attack at the Islamabad district courts is a wake-up call,” he wrote on X.

“In this environment, it would be futile to hold out greater hope for successful negotiations with the rulers of Kabul,” he added.

The statement comes after a deadly suicide blast in the federal capital, Islamabad, that killed 12 people and injured 27 others.

Speaking to the media at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) Hospital, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said that the bomber tried to enter the court building on foot, but detonated the device outside, close to a police vehicle, after waiting there for 10 to 15 minutes.

“We are investigating this incident from different angles. It is not just another bombing. It happened right in Islamabad,” the minister said.

The development comes a day after India-sponsored terrorists attacked Cadet College in Wana, South Waziristan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

According to the ISPR, the assailants attempted to breach the college perimeter. They rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into the main gate, causing the gate’s collapse and damage to adjacent infrastructure.

Clearance operations were underway to eliminate the remaining attackers, the military statement added.